Something New for Christmas
by Angelgirl2429
Summary: Lucy runs a simple errand for her mother, however, she didn't expect to come back home with an offer hanging in the back of her mind from an old crush that she barely even remembers. xxThree-shotxx
1. Something to do on Christmas Eve

**A/N: Hi, everyone! I wrote this last year, but sadly, I didn't finish it in time. However, when I finally finished it...I forgot to save it...so I had to start a whole new chapter again! :(. Sucks, but I was _finally_ able to finish it in time this year. So, without further ado, I give you "Something New for Christmas" Enjoy!**

 **DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN ANYTHING!**

 **Here's a little poem I came up with to get you guys started on the story! Hope you like it! :)**

 _One more day till Christmas and not a frowny face in sight._

 _Well, except for me, who's got nothing to do 'til midnight._

 _Spending it with my family isn't so bomb,_

 _Especially with someone who's as crazy as my mom._

 _Although that may be true,_

 _Family are the people you can count on the most, and the ones that can count on you._

 _-Me_

* * *

 **Something to do on Christmas Eve**

Sitting by the window with my knees pressed up against my chest, I stared through the frosted glass and into the darkness of night, where sprinkles of white snowflakes were aimlessly falling with the gentle breeze.

It was Christmas Eve. A time where presents are about finished and ready to be sent; where children rush to bed early, so Santa could come and drop off their gifts; where couples spend time together, cuddling by the fire and drinking hot cocoa...

I was always envious of couples on holidays like this. They would be all lovey dovey, hugs and kisses, cute and cuddly, and so on. And people (like me) would be...almost like what I'm doing right now: sitting by the window-or on the bed-thinking about what it would be like to spent time with someone on the holidays again. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love my family, we do almost everything together, and I love spending time with them, but...I just want to spend it with that special someone, you know? But now...

I sighed, not bothering to finish that sentence. Squeezing my knees together, so I could rest my cheek against them, I continued to gaze out the window.

"Lucy?! Would you buy more wrapping paper, please?!" I heard my mom suddenly shout from down the hall.

Releasing my legs to the ground, I crossed my room to the door and opened it, then made my way to my parents' bedroom.

We live in a two story house that's pretty big for only three people living in it; it's not like a mansion or anything, but everything is just on a bigger scale, I guess. We have 5 bedrooms (4 upstairs, 1 downstairs), 3 bathrooms (2 upstairs, 1 downstairs), and the rest are the basic essentials needed in an average home; like the kitchen, living area, dining area, garage, those kind things.

Dad customized the room downstairs and turned it into his private office, and Mom took one upstairs and turned it into her own little crafting office (she's very creative). Obviously, my parents and I claimed our bedrooms, so there was one more bedroom that still needed an owner. I was going to take ownership and design it into our own theater room, but then my mom suggested to turn it into a guest room. I mean, it was a good idea, but I just wanted a room where we could watch movies on a theater-like screen as a family, but it's fine. After we got the necessities for the bedroom-the bed, dresser, TV-throughout the years, it was always temporarily used by my Dad's co-workers, until, finally _,_ someone claimed it.

"Can't Laxus do it? He's probably on his way home right about now." I said, leaning against the door frame as I crossed my arms over my chest.

My cousin, Laxus, suddenly appeared one night and asked if he could stay over. He only said that he and his dad were having "issues". But, although Laxus said one night, we let him stay for however long it took; however, he let us know that after a week he would return home. True to his word, Laxus packed his things and returned home, but, right when he was at the door, I offered that he could stay over his semester breaks, since his college was close by. He hesitated until my mom, and eventually my dad, agreed to it as well. He was still hesitant though, but, after I gave him my best puppy dog face, he had no other choice but to accept.

"I would, but Laxus called me and said he was going to a Christmas Eve party after work, and your father's coming home late today, so could you, please?" She said, as she continued wrapping presents.

I sighed in defeat, while my shoulders slumped forward, clearly having no way around it, "...Christmas themed wrapping paper?"

"Yes, please. Thank you, dear."

"You're welcome..." I mumbled, turning around and walking back to my room to get my phone, purse, and scarf.

I was already dressed in a lime green shoulder-width long sleeve shirt, black leggings, Christmas themed socks, and a red ribbon, that holds half of my hair up on one side. After I grabbed my things, I went down the stairs, slipped on my black boots, grabbed my keys off the hook, and ran out the door to my Hybrid in the driveway. I opened the door and rushed inside. Once I was inside, I turned the car on and the heaters on full blast. When it got warm, I reared out of the driveway and off to the store I went; it was about a 20 minute drive from my house.

In the parking lot, I pulled into a stall and put the car in park. Grabbing my jacket, that I always left in the back seat, I speed-walked to the entrance. I walked quickly through the Christmas aisles, scanning them up and down, until I spotted a box full of tubes of wrapping paper, standing at one end of an aisle. Bending at the waist, to look through them, I tried to find one that was cute.

"Do you need help finding something, Miss?" I heard a deep voice from beside me ask.

"Uh, no, thanks. I'm good. Thanks anyway...Gray!" I shouted, happily, when I turned to take a glance at the employee and saw that it was Gray, who disguised his voice, so I couldn't recognize him.

"Hey, Lucy! What're you doing here?" He asked, pulling me into a hug.

I hugged him back, "Nothing, just getting some wrapping paper."

"Oh, that's cool." He replied. I chuckled.

"Speaking of 'cool', aren't you cold?" I said, pointing to his short sleeved uniform.

He looked down at his sleeves, "...No...? Should I be?"

I shook my head, _'He could probably live on Mount Hakobe and never notice that he was turning blue until someone told him.'_

"So, what does Juvia have planned for tomorrow?" I asked, turning back to the box of wrapping paper.

"I don't know. Probably do the same stuff as last years: spend time with her family, drink hot cocoa, the usual." He shrugged. _'Couple activities.'_ I added in my head, then he asked, standing in front of me, leaning against something, "What about you?"

"Oh, the usual. Finishing up some unwrapped presents, then sending them out. And when that's done, I get the milk and cookies ready, and get my pjs ready, so I can sleep early and Santa can bring me some presents!" I responded sarcastically, taking a glance a him, giggling.

"Ha ha, very funny. Come on, Luce. I'm serious."

" _I'm_ serious too!...You're never too old to believe in Santa." There weren't any cute ones that I liked, so I grabbed one, at random, then whipped around and walked back up the aisle, without looking back.

"Wait! Lucy! What about Natsu?" Gray questioned, following behind me.

"What _about_ Natsu?" I repeated back, twirling the tube between my fingers, like it was a twirling baton, as I spoke, taking a turn and walking into another Christmas aisle.

"Don't you guys usually spend _every_ Christmas together at your place?" Gray asked, as he kept following me.

"Not anymore." I responded casually, as I stopped for a second to select a couple of bows; they were only a dollar each.

"What do you mean 'not anymore'? What happened?" He inquired, as he stopped next to me.

"Nothing 'happened'. It was just getting old, doing the same things every year." I answered, once I finished picking my bows and continued my walk through the aisles.

"Not with you two. Natsu was _always_ excited when Christmas Eve came around."

"Because he would _always_ sleep and eat all the food that we prepared for tomorrow." I retorted back.

"Yeah, but, with past experiences, you learned to make extra and then kicked him out when he started waddling over to the second batch." I giggled to a stop when a memory of a bloated Natsu began waddling over to the second batch of food popped into my head, then Gray continued, "He couldn't get enough of your cooking. He told me that he looks forward to it every year."

I turned around to him, trying to keep my shocked expression from showing, "Really...?" I breathed, a smile pulling at the corners of my lips.

"Of course, Lucy. C'mon, I'm one for your closest guy friends, would I lie to you?"

"Well," I started, grabbing my chin in thought, "there was that one time-"

"Okay! So I've lied, but I only lie about some stuff to protect you, right?" Gray interrupted, throwing his hands in the air in defeat.

I nodded, chuckling as his reaction.

"See? So what happened between you and Natsu? I thought you guys were best friends." He inquired again.

"No, we're still best friends...it's just that..." I said, trailing off, trying to put my thoughts into words. I licked my lips and sighed, _'This is difficult to explain.'_

"'That' what?"

"Umm...Natsu...how do I put this...? Did I ever tell you that I liked Natsu...?" I hesitantly began, looking toward the ground with a tint of a blush.

He laughed, "No, but I could tell by the way you looked at him." I blushed fiercely.

"Yeah...well, two years ago, when he came over, I kinda told him that I liked him..." I said, sheepishly.

"And what did he say?"

"Well, he was quiet for a while, then he said, 'I like you too, Luce' and slung his arm around my neck," I threw my arm around Gray's neck to demonstrate for him, "and continued, 'You're my best friend ever! Who wouldn't like you?!' then he just continued stuffing his face with food while I sat beside him, holding back tears with a sad smile upon my face...and that was the last Christmas Natsu and I had together...now that he's with Lisanna." I mumbled. _'I can't believe that I actually thought Natsu would like me.'_ I humorlessly chuckled. Then I suddenly felt Gray's arms wrap around my waist, like he was trying to comfort me, and since I had my arm around his neck, I hugged him back, desperately holding back tears.

Gray stood there, holding me and rubbing my back, soothing me as I suddenly broke into silent sobs and whimpers into his shoulder, but knowing that a simple hug would get Juvia immensely jealous, I pulled myself together and was about to pull away when I heard, from an old lady, "Aww, the joys of being young."

We lifted our heads to see an elderly lady smiling at us; she thought we were a couple! Gray and I immediately pulled our hands away from each other and, at the same time, we started explaining the situation to the old lady, but she lifted her hand, instantly putting a stop to our ramblings.

"You don't need to explain. I can clearly see that this young man cares for you, deary." She says to me, then directed her attention to Gray, "Do you know where I could find the tissue paper?"

"Uhh, three aisles that way." Gray directed, pointing to the direction of the tissue paper.

"Thank you, sonny." The old lady bowed her head, in thanks, and left in the direction Gray pointed to.

"But we're not a couple..." I whimpered after the lady walked away.

"Ugh man, Juvia's not gonna like this." Gray said, rubbing his neck.

I whined, "Can I please pay for these already? I do _**not**_ wanna be here when Juvia comes." I said carrying my stuff with one arm.

"Yeah...you're probably right." He agreed and began leading me to the cash register.

On our way there, I fell behind a couple of steps because a cute card caught my eye, and I just _had_ to look at it more closely. So as I rushed out of the aisle to catch up with Gray, I bumped into, what felt like, a wall, forcing the things in my arm to escape and fall to the floor. I thought I was going to join them too, but then I felt an arm wrap around my waist, preventing that from happening. I blinked multiple of times, because it happened so fast. It was surprising I knew what was happening.

"I'm so sorry." I apologized, when everything started clearing up, "I wasn't looking where I was going." I continued, looking at the stranger in front of me.

He had blue and black hair that was styled in a mohawk kind of way, with small patches coming from the side, but I couldn't really tell because it was all messy, like he just woke up. He was also wearing sunglasses, which was weird because we were inside and it was dark out. Plus, for some odd reason, I felt like I knew him, somehow.

"No prob." He said, straighten me back up. _'His voice sounds so familiar...'_ Then he couched down to pick up my things.

"Oh, no, that's okay. I got them." I interjected, but he was already straightening back up and handed me my things before I had a chance to help. I mumbled my thanks and lightly blushed when our hands touched. He grinned. _'Okay, where have I seen this guy before? He looks so familiar.'_ I thought, tilting my head a little.

"Lucy!" I heard Gray shout.

We both turned and saw Gray waving me over.

"Guess I'll see you around...Cosplayer." He said, walking past me and into the aisle.

"Yeah, thanks again!...Wait, 'Cosplayer'? But Gray just..." I gasped loudly and spun around to try and catch him, but he wasn't there. I walked to the end of the aisle and searched both ways to see where that guy ran off to, but I couldn't find him. _'How the heck?'_ Then I walked back up the aisle and to the cash register, and waited for my turn. While I was talking to that "stranger", Gray had customers lining up in front of him.

* * *

 **Soooo? What do you think?**

 **Oh, and Merry Christmas for those of you that are celebrating it today!**


	2. Invitation to Consider

**A/N: I'm starting it from where Lucy finally gets her turn at the cash register, so she can talk to Gray as he rings her up. Just in case any of you get lost.** **Enjoy! MERRY CHRISTMAS!  
**

* * *

 **Invitation to Consider**

"Who was that guy, Lucy? It didn't look like you knew him." Gray asked, when he gave the previous customer the last of his bags.

"At first, I didn't, but when he called me 'Cosplayer' right after you shouted my name, it suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks." I explained, as I placed my stuff on the moving belt, and Gray checked them, "That was Bickslow."

"Bickslow?"

"Yeah. Bickslow. He's Laxus' best friend; they were friends since childhood. I can't believe he still remembers me. Laxus mentioned that he went to the same college as him, but he looks so different now; I didn't even recognize him." I elaborated.

He nodded in understanding when he finished checking my items and placed them in bags.

As I paid and grabbed the bags, I thanked Gray for his help, "Well, thanks for helping me out, Gray. And also, with the...yeah...bye." Awkwardly referring to the previous conversation in the aisle, but tried to refrain from mentioning it out loud just in case Juvia was nearby.

"Bye, Lucy. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Gray. Oh, and tell Juvia I said 'Merry Christmas' too!" I responded as I walked backwards to the exit.

"Yeah! No problem, Luce!" He waved. I waved back, then faced forward, so I didn't bump into anyone on my way out...again.

Once I stepped outside, the cold wind rushed through me, causing my whole body to shiver. So I wrapped my arms around myself, as tight as I could, and walked to where I parked my car. As I walked, I tried to feel through my purse for my keys, but, somehow, I couldn't feel them. Giving up, I wrapped my arm back around my torso and continued the walk to my car.

When I got there, I resumed the hunt for my keys. It took a while, but I finally found them and just as I wrapped my fingers around them, a familiar voice caught my attention.

"Need some help?" He asked.

I breathed a chuckle as I looked up from my purse. Bickslow was standing a few feet in front of me with his hood up, hands in his jacket pockets, and a grin plastered on his face, "Ah, no thanks. I got it." I replied, showing him my keys and jingling them for emphasis. With my thumb, I pressed the button to unlock my car and opened the back door, threw the shopping bag inside, and slammed the door shut. Turning to lean against the car, I noticed that, even though he was wearing those dark shades, I could still feel his eyes on me the whole time. I shoved my hands in my jacket, to avoid them from becoming numb from the cold, and said, "I see you didn't lose the mohawk, yet."

He laughs, "And that's never gonna change, Cosplayer."

"Ugh, but that nickname has to..." I grimaced,indicating that I didn't like that nickname anymore.

"Why? Gettin' too old for ya?" He taunted, taking a step forward.

"Yeah, actually it is. I'm not the same girl that plays dress up anymore!" I huffed in annoyance.

When I was about 5 years old, I played dress up a lot, mostly during the times when 10 year old Laxus and his mom came to visit us. Then one time, they brought over little 9 year old Bickslow, because he slept over, and I just so happen to dressed as a flower, so Laxus and I could play hide-and-seek in the gardens. When Bickslow raised his eyebrow at me, Laxus told him that I like to play dress up. And ever since then, Bickslow calls me 'Cosplayer' whenever he sees me, which was frequently. But one day, he didn't show up like he was supposed to. I was 6 at the time, and as curious as a 6 year old can be, I asked Laxus where he was. It was abnormal for Bickslow not to show up with Laxus whenever they came over, so having Laxus tell me that he moved away made me upset. I thought I was never going to have another playmate that was willing to act like a bad guy or a dog for me ever again; he was good at it. Unfortunately, Laxus also stopped coming over, leaving me and my doll, Michelle, alone...with no one to play with.

Then I met Natsu, and he became my new playmate and friend. My 6 year old mind thought that Natsu was better at make-believe than I was and, ever since then, we've become inseparable (practically grew up together).

Memories of Bickslow were replaced with ones of Natsu throughout the years, slowly turning him into just a childhood crush that only lasted for a brief moment. But now that he came back, could my previous feelings for him still exist?

"True." Bickslow mumbles quietly to himself, feeling his eyes scan me from behind his shades, "'Kay, fine. I'll just come up with a new nickname for ya." He smirks.

I rolled my eyes, "I have a name, you know? It'll actually save you time if you just use it." I obviously pointed out, crossing my arms. _'And it's not even a difficult name to remember.'_ I mentally added.

He shrugged his shoulders, still smirking, "I know. It's just more fun to call you 'Cosplayer'...Cosplayer."

I rolled my eyes again, feeling slightly irritated, "Whatever. I gotta go." I think I saw his smirk drop, but I wasn't sure because I had already pushed myself off my car and turned to open the door. I pulled the handle and the door popped open, but just as it was opened, it was instantly closed by a black nail polished hand.

A remark was coming up my throat, until he asked, "Where're you goin'?"

"Back home." I obviously stated, pulling my door open again only to have it shut...again. _'Seriously?!'_ I thought, feeling irritated again.

"Come to my place." He asked, more like demanded, as he rested his side against my car door, keeping it closed, preventing me from opening it again, while his head came right beside mine.

My head snapped in his direction, "What?! Why?"

"Because it would be more fun that way." He smirked again.

I snorted, rolling my eyes for the millionth time, then turned my body in his direction when I removed my hand from the handle to cross them against my chest, while my hip leaned on the car, "Really? And in what way would spending time with _you_ be 'more fun' as you so put it?"

All of a sudden, he slowly came over me. I braced myself against the car and stood frozen as his arms were on either side of my head, caging me in. His body just inches in front of me, but this close proximity was enough to allow my back to mold to the side of the car.

Not anticipating his sudden movements, my heart almost jumped right out of my chest, and is now beating erratically. With my neck hovering above the surface of the car, I had a hard time lifting my chin up to look at him, but I instantly regretted it when I saw the refection of my surprised, yet flushed, expression on his dark shades. I gulped, _'Oh gosh...'_

"Wouldn't it be more fun to spend Christmas Eve with someone special rather than by yourself?" He asked huskily, making my throat dry. I suddenly felt a strange pressure being pushed in my lower stomach when he talked.

I gulped again, _'Would it be more fun to spend Christmas Eve with Bickslow? I did say that I wanted to spend it with someone special, but I hardly know the guy!'_

 _ **'You could get to know him...?'**_ My subconscious says.

 _'...Yeah, I could... But we're talking about Bickslow, Laxus' friend, an older guy, a COLLEGE GUY FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!'_ I pointed out to her, stating all the obvious reasons I shouldn't go.

 _ **'But you like him...'**_ She adds.

 _'_ Liked _.'_ I corrected.

 _ **'That's not what your heart is saying...'**_ She responds, smirking.

 _'My heart...?'_ I paused to listen.

 _Ba-thump, Ba-thump, Ba-thump, Ba-thump, Ba-thump, Ba-thump-_

My heart rate is pumping incredible fast. I had no words to respond, only deeply blushed.

 _ **'See?...'**_ She cheekily points out, giving me a brief lift of her brow, while the smirk was still on her face. Then she slowly starts fading in the back of my mind.

Being brought out of my conversation with myself, I noticed that Bickslow had lowered his head down to my neck, since his face got replaced with the dark sky and white snowflakes falling.

"Well, Cosplayer?" Bickslow breathes, as the tip of this nose starts stroking the column of my neck. His warm breath caused a light shiver to run throughout my body. The things he were doing to me almost made me question to what he was implying. Then I vaguely remembered his offer, _'Right...I was supposed to be annoyed and resistant.'_

"U-uh, but...but you're not someone special..." I accidentally stuttered out, trying to think of an excuse.

"Welp," he starts, suddenly taking a step away from me while releasing me from the make-shift cage he secured me in, to shove his hands back into his jacket pockets, "Guess I'm not. But I _will_ be. You just have to remember. See ya around!" Then he turned around and started walking away, as if nothing.

 _'Uhhhh...what just happened? Did that lame excuse just work?...I can't believe that actually worked!...'_ I thought, watching his retreating form. Then jumped into my car and started it up and drove home, not at all reconsidering Bickslow's invite or thinking about what he just said.

* * *

"I'm home!" I shouted, after I shut the door behind me. With the package in hand, I slipped off my boots and walked upstairs to give it to my mom.

"Lucy! What took you so long? I was getting worried." My mom said when she saw me coming up, putting down her phone.

I smiled at that, then gave her the package, "Sorry, I thought you might need some bows, so I bought."

"Oh, thank you, dear. I actually need bows." She said, emptying out the bag.

"Yeah..." Then I started to my room, so I could probably go to sleep, since I had nothing better to do at this point, which made me think about Bickslow's invitation again. _'Maybe I should've taken it...'_ I sighed.

"Oh, Lucy," my mom started, making me stop in the middle of the hall, then she continued, "I forgot to ask, is Natsu coming over? I didn't have time to-"

"No, he said he was busy today," I interrupted, "so it's good...that we didn't have enough to make a second batch, that is." I finished, continuing the walk to my room, suddenly feeling myself getting sad again.

Gently closing the door to my room, I leaned against it and stood there for a second, trying to collect myself, then I pushed off and walked over to my bed, plopping down on top the covers with my face buried in the pillow. I groaned. I grunted. I moaned. Until I turned on my back and sighed to the ceiling.

"I feel so stupid." I mumbled to myself, thinking back to the time that I confessed to Natsu.

 _Knock Knock Knock_

Eyes glued to the ceiling, I invited the person in, "Come in."

"Lucy...?" I heard my mom say as she closed the door behind her. I didn't bother looking at her when she came in or when she sat at the foot of the bed, "What's wrong?"

I deeply sighed, while closing my eyes. My mom and I are close. There are times when I don't even notice that she's my mother, but more like an older sister. However, like a mother, she instantly knew what was wrong.

"Is it Natsu?" She gently assumed. I looked towards her and she automatically knew that it was; I never told her about what happened with Natsu last year. She then said, "Scoot over." I did and was immediately engulfed in her arms.

We stayed in silence until I felt comfortable to talk. I laid down the whole situation between Natsu and I (basically repeating the same conversation that I had with Gray), then gave her a brief summary about the evenings events.

I sighed once I was finished, "So what should I do, Mom? Should I have taken his offer?"

She hummed in thought for a moment, then said, "I think you should do whatever _you_ feel is right, Hun." _'"Do what I feel is right"...?'_ She continued, "You're at that age where you're old enough to make your decisions, no matter the outcome. You don't have to wait for anybody to choose what you should do; it's your life. You can choose how you live it just as long as you come to me when you need it, okay?" I nodded. She pressed her lips to my head, then released me from her hold. Standing on her feet, I watched her as she walked to the door and bent down to pick up my purse, which I unknowingly dropped to the floor. I heard the zip of the purse and some shuffling. Then she placed my bag on the dresser and walked back over to me with my phone in her hand and set it down right next to my head. Glancing at her, she softly smiled down at me before heading out the door and closing it with a click.

Turning my attention back to my phone, I turned on my side and just stared at it. I think I spend a good 5 minutes, just staring at the contraption, as if waiting for it to suddenly jump up and starting dancing. But I laid there, debating if I should make the call or not.

I sharply sighed, _'Okay...here goes nothing...'_

I reached for my phone, but hovered over it for a second, then finally grasped it in my hands and once it was unlocked, I went straight through my contact list and pressed talk, when I found the person I was looking for. It rang a couple of times and just when I thought I would be sent to voicemail, I heard their gruff voice on the other end.

 _"Hello?"_

"Hey...um...Laxus?" I asked, hesitantly.

 _"Yeah? What is it, Lulu? I'm kind busy right now."_ In the background, I heard music and, _"CHUG! CHUG! CHUG! CHUG!...WOOOOO!"_

"Sorry, but this will only take a second. Do you, by any chance, have Bickslow's...uh...number...?" I could feel my heart rate picking up as I spoke.

 _"Yeah. Why?"_

"C-could you...s-send it...t-t-to me...?" I stuttered out.

 _"Yeah, sure. Hold up."_ He put me on hold and a second later I heard my phone chime. Pulling it away to look at the screen, I saw a new message from Laxus at the top of the screen. Then he came back on, _"That it?"_

"Yeah. Thanks, Laxus. I'll see you later." I said and was about to hang up until he shouted, _"Wait!"_

"What is it?" I asked, furrowing my brows together in confusion. Laxus is usually a straight-forward guy, so it's weird for him to speak out when I've already got what I called for.

 _"...If Bickslow forces you to do anything you don't wanna do, just tell me. I'll straighten him out."_ He informs, and I could almost picture him with a grin, while cracking his knuckles for emphasis.

I chuckled. It's good to know that my cousin cares about me.

"I will. Bye." I reassured.

 _"Bye."_ And I disconnected the call.

Going to my messages, I opened the new message from Laxus. It _definitely_ had Bickslow's number in it. I took several deep breaths, _'Okay...okay...here goes...'_

With my thumb hovering over the underlined number, I took a big gulp of air, closed my eyes, pressed, and quickly slid the phone to my ear, slowly dragging the air out of me. It rang...and rang...and rang... With each passing ring, I heard the beat of my heart pounding against my ear drums. And if I placed my hand on my chest, I could actually feel it hammering against my hand.

 _"Hello?"_

A tint of a blush painted my cheeks as I shot up to a sitting position.


	3. Christmas

**A/N: With the help of LadyPlague, I give you the last chapter to 'Something new for Christmas.' I am soooooooo sorry! You guys probably hate me right now! I sincerely apologize for how extremely late this is. T0T Happy Holidays, though!**

* * *

 **Christmas**

As I approach the lone door, I take several deep breaths and shake the nervousness out from my hands. _'This is crazy. This is stupid. I shouldn't do this.'_ I tell myself those things, and yet, I stand just a foot away from his door. Minutes pass by without my knowledge. I stand awkwardly in front of the door as if waiting for it to magically open by itself. _'Come on. He knows you're here. What are you waiting for?'_

I stare at the door longingly, "For someone to knock on the door for me." I replied lowly to myself.

Just then my heart quickened, and without meaning to, I was knocking on the door.

I snatched my hand back in a panic. "What did I just do?! I just knocked on the door! _My hand_ just knocked on the door!"

' _ **Well, guess there's nothing for you to do but to wait for the door to open.'**_ My subconscious sings.

The door in front of me suddenly swings open, causing me to gasp out loud and stiffen. A deep red blush paints my entire face as I realized I was still grasping my hand tightly and looking at it angrily like a crazy person. Quickly composing myself, I smile up at Bickslow.

His eyes filled with amusement and a smirk graced his lips once he saw me. A light blush paints my cheeks. "Sorry I, uh, took so long. I got lost."

He throws his head back and cackles. "You really haven't changed at all, Cosplayer."

I fold my arms and glare at Bickslow while he laughs so joyously at me. Then a smirk suddenly graces my lips. "I could say the same about you…Piccolo ." The smirk widened uncontrollably.

Without a word, he grins before stepping to the side and stretching the door wider, giving me a silent permission to enter.

Shoulders back with pride, I stepped inside, the smirk still plastered on my face. It felt good to somewhat insult Bickslow and use an old nickname of his (I thought I heard 'Piccolo' instead of 'Bickslow' when we were first met).

After slipping off my boots, with much difficulty with Bickslow in front of me, I briefly scan the apartment. "Nice place," I complimented, starting to removing my jacket, but Bickslow slipped it off for me like a gentleman. I softly mumbled my thanks and lightly blushed when I felt his fingertips brush against the tops of my shoulders.

"Eh," Bickslow says from behind, shrugging a shoulder, acting all modest as he refers to his home, "it's all right." Hanging my jacket on one of the vacant hooks attached to the wall, he suddenly asks, moving around to face me, "You want some cocoa?"

I turn to look at him, smile, then accept, "Yeah, sure."

"..." Bickslow was silent for a second, analyzing me or something. Then he grins, moves forward to lightly brush a hooked finger under my chin and turns around to the kitchen.

I wasn't sure what that was about or why he suddenly did that, but my cheeks instantly heat up, nonetheless.

I began to roaming around his apartment, setting my purse on his couch as I passed. It was really nice and simply furnished. I had to continuously remind myself that I was in a man's apartment.

Circling around the living area of the apartment, I came to several floating shelves full of DVDs and photos. Each self began and ended with a photo and the DVDs were arranged in between. They also held a theme to them as well. The top shelf held old and classic movies (from the baby pictures), then children's movies (from the elementary and middle school pictures), and recent movies (from the current family photo and a current picture of him and Laxus).

As I was looking through the photos a certain picture caught my attention. And it wasn't the picture of baby Bickslow, no matter how cute he was. The picture was of young Bickslow and young Laxus playing with a little girl, about 3 or 4 years old, in her make-shift castle made of couch pillows. Laxus was in a fighting stance dressed, with only a tail, as a dragon; Bickslow, also in a fighting stance, with a foil covered bike helmet, a cardboard shield, and a plastic sword, as a knight; and the little girl, with her full-on princess costume, as…a princess.

The picture brought a smile to my face. Picking the frame up to take a closer look at the little girl. _'…Wait...is this me?!'_ The smile on my face dropped and my mouth hung open, absolutely mortified.

"Looking at yourself?"

I follow Bickslow's voice to see him still in the kitchen making the cocoa. "What?" I breath.

Bickslow looks at me, grinning my way, before nodding to the picture frame in my hand. "That little girl...is you." He clarifies.

I speechlessly look at him then to the photo in my hand, examining the girl's facial feature from the side. It **was** me; I'd recognize that hairstyle anywhere. A sense of nostalgia came over me, but a question ran through my mind as I looked at this picture. "How did you get this?"

"Your mom." He put it simply, but it was an immediate answer, like he didn't really have to think about it before he spoke.

I lifted my head, confused by his reply.

Making his way toward me, he elaborates. "Your mom said she had extras, so she gave them to Laxus's mom, which she gave to him, and he gave them to me." He stood right beside me now. While taking the mug being offered to me with my free hand, he looks down at the picture in my other.

I was about to ask another question, but seeing how his green eyes had softened when he took it from my hand prevented me from asking it. So I didn't.

As he turns his attention to me, I quickly turn my head down to the mug in my hands, avoiding our eyes from meeting. The cocoa was topped with whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate with a strawberry wafer stick for a straw. I grabbed the wafer stick and stirred the hot beverage in my hand, while he put the picture back on the shelf. I moved my head down to take a sip, but then he suddenly, pushed my hair back with his hand again. My head followed, turning to look up at him as he did that. "Your hair is about to get in the whipped cream." He said, softly.

Blood filled my cheeks again when our eyes met, _'Dammit!...Our eyes met!'_ I mentally curse, silently turning away and bringing the wafer straw to my mouth once again.

Carefully waiting for the hot chocolate to touch my tongue, I walked to the navy blue couch and sat next to my purse. Once I realized that the hot beverage wasn't all that hot, I gladly drank. Then something caught my eye. Setting the mug down, I asked, "Did you make these?"

Arranged at the center of the table were five little circular objects with wings staring back at me.

"Yeah. In high school. Junior year." He said, picking up the one with the smily face, and continued, while walking over to take a seat, "On the first day of art class, we had to make something that described us -our likes, interests, hobbies- those kinds of things." He paused for a second to glance at me, to see if I understood. I nodded, so he continued, "I wanted to make something simple, something that didn't require a lot of work, so I picked a totem. After I was done making _this_ little guy," He presented the one in his hand to me by turning his smiling face around, "and painting his face, I thought, 'How the hell does this little guy describe me? I'm not always a happy guy.' I was actually thinking about throwing him away, but then my sister, Evergreen, walked in and helped me out. She said, 'Well, don't throw it away, you idiot! Put it to good use! Sheesh...! Such a waste.'" I laughed when he tried to mimic his sister's voice, he chuckled along with me, "And then she hit me upside the head. Good thing too 'cause I got an idea from it." We both laugh, "Then next thing I knew, I made 4 more. Then painted different faces on each one."

"Do they have names?" I ask, taking one off the table to examine it. This one looked like a very sad clown with its deep frown.

He chuckles, "Yeah, they do, actually. Turn it over." He instructs, nodding to the one in my hand.

At the bottom, its name was carved. "Pep-pe…?" I said carefully, turning to him to see if I pronounced it correctly.

He nods. "Uh-huh. And this is Pappa." He flips the one in his hand over, showing me its name, "And if you turn these over," he turns to the others on the table and points to each one, as if introducing them, "they're Pippi, Poppo, and Puppu."

Realizing something similar about those name, I start giggling, "Their names are so creative."

He chuckles, hearing the sarcasm in my voice. He plays along, "Thanks, sweetheart! You know, it was a difficult process, naming things. Practically put blood, sweat, and tears into it."

I giggle some more, completely missing the part where he called me 'sweetheart'. "I can tell." Then we both burst into laughter, unable to contain it any longer. "These are really cute." I complimented once I got a hold of my laughter. "Are you majoring in Arts?"

"Yeah, but it's not all as it's cracked up to be." He practically grumbled.

I furrowed my brows at him. "Don't you just have to create something out of clay to pass?"

Bickslow chuckles, shaking his head, no. "That's only half of what is expected. The other half is the ticket to pass the assignment. For every assignment, I had to put my own twist on it, but it still had to hit all the major points I needed to pass."

"You had to be original?" I clarified, trying to guess what he was saying.

"Exactly. But I had to learn _about_ the art before I could actually _make_ it. Learn all the different techniques from different artists to try and come up with something that was _me_." He sighs, gently plopping his head down on my lap, making himself comfortable. "I fucking _loathed_ that history class."

"Doesn't everyone?" I inquired, giggling, keeping my hands where they were. He shrugs a shoulder. "Well, at least you passed, right? You wouldn't have passed if you loathed it _that_ much." Thinking that it was okay, I relaxed my hands, placing one on his shoulder and the other on his head. Then I softly run my hands through his mohawk.

"It was only because I dated this girl who made it bearable."

"Oh, I didn't know you dated someone." _'While I can't even get someone to like me, let alone date me.'_ "Was she studying in Arts, too?"

Bickslow shook his head, no. "No, teaching. The confusing part of it was she hated school, yet she is studying to be a teacher to go _back_ to school."

I couldn't help but chuckle. "Well, maybe she doesn't know what she wants to do yet, so she chose something temporary, like a teaching major, until she finds something worth spending the rest of her life doing."

He shrugs a shoulder. "I guess…"

Feeling like it wasn't any part of my business, but just automatically coming out, I said, "How long have you two been together?"

"More than two years."

Excitement courses through my veins, like a child waiting for story time to begin. At least, I thought it was excitement. "Oh, wow, what happened? Were things becoming difficult?" My "excitement" deflated instantly after those words left my mouth and panic suddenly arose. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry or anything. I'm just curious. You don't have to answer those questions. But where's your bathroom?"

He chuckles, sitting up from my lap to face me, humor twinkling in his eyes and a half- smile appeared on his lip. "It's the door next to the shelves." He directed with a nod of his head as he glanced in the direction of the bathroom before looking back of me.

"Oh, okay Thanks. I'll be right back." I informed, before heading in the direction of the bathroom.

After closing and locking the door behind me, I went straight to the faucet and turned it on, then I began pacing again, mumbling quietly to myself, "Oh, my god! It just suddenly got so awkward. What do I do now…? Should I leave? Should I stay? What do I do?!" Biting my nail, I contemplated. "…Maybe it's best I leave. This was a bad idea; I should've never came here. I mean, what was I expecting? Should I be expecting something?" Images of Bickslow kissing me suddenly ran through my mind, but I quickly shoved it to the back of my head before the scene progressed any further, "No! Stop it! UGH! Okay, okay, okay. It's fine." I took multiple deep breathes to cool my head. Leaning against the wall, I buried my head in my hands. "What am I doing? This is stupid. I'm totally not myself. I mean, it's obvious that our conversation is going nowhere, and I barely remember anything about him, so leaving is probably the right thing to do, right? Yeah. Right." With that said, I shut off the faucet. With my hand hovering over the handle, I pressed my forehead against the door and thought, _'Should I leave…?'_ Straightening up, I take a deep breath and open the door only to let out a loud startling gasp, "Oh, my god! Bickslow, you scared me." Bickslow stood there, leaning against the entrance with his head resting on his forearm. "Listen, Bickslow," I started, about to tell him that I was leaving. I've never rejected anybody before, but I had to let him know. Taking a deep breath, I prepare myself. Lifting my head to look at him, I said, "Bickslow, I-!"

Out of nowhere, Bickslow swiftly leans down and softly, but firmly, gives me a chaste kiss. Suddenly, a faint image flashes before my eyes, but it quickly faded once he pulled away. _'What was that?'_ I thought, staring at him with eyes big as saucers. Bickslow must have never saw that vague image I saw because he broke into a wide grin, grabbed me around the waist, and leaned down again, roughly claiming my lips this time causing my body to be braced up against the door frame. My heart jumped, my muscles stiffened, and my mind becomes clouded with the initial shock that was abruptly placed upon me. Although my entire body seemed paralyzed, that somehow, didn't affect the way my lips moved in sync with his. That was when the image came back again, but instead of an image, scenes were playing. My muscles relaxed and my eyes drifted close as they all played freely and vividly behind my lids.

It wasn't until a couple of scene after that I realized that these were flashbacks I was watching. Memories of Bickslow and I when we were kids. It played like a timeline, from when Bickslow and I first met to the last memory I had of him. There were even some I didn't realize I had until I saw them.

Unexpectedly, the flood of memories abruptly stopped playing. I couldn't feel the warmth of Bickslow's lips against mine anymore. As I yearned for air, my eyes shot open to see him bending down. Feeling his hands on the backs of my thighs, he effortlessly hoists me off my feet. As if on instincts, I wrapped my legs around his waist, steadying my hands on the tops of his shoulders as an involuntary yelp sounded from within my throat at the sudden action.

Bickslow gently cups my face as he gazes passionately at me. "Don't let go." Was all he utters before I wraps my arms around his neck, and he rejoins our lips.

Once again, the vivid memories resumed from where they left off. It was like Bickslow was transferring lost memories to me through our lips, and whenever he disconnects them, the memories crease as well.

Many dress-ups, make-believes, and hide-and-seeks all flashed behind my lids. Mostly all of them were good, while others left the younger me crying during every game we played, but as I kept watching, the younger Bickslow was always there to cheer me up and make everything all right. Those were also the memories that I didn't realize that I had, or thought, existed. The photo of all of us, standing beside to the DVDs, on the shelves next to the bathroom is an example of a memory that I didn't realize ever happening until now.

The timeline of flashbacks were about to end. I knew, because the current scene that was playing was the very first time Laxus ever came to sleepover on Christmas Eve.

'… _Wait a minute, is that Bickslow? I don't remember this part. This part wasn't in my memories at all.'_

Astounded by the fact that Bickslow was always a part of this memory, I continued to watch as all of us got ready for bed.

When I was younger, since I was an only child, I would always sleep next to the Christmas tree, the night before Christmas, waiting for Santa to come with a plate full of cookies and a glass of milk waiting on the table just for him. But on this day, Laxus and apparently Bickslow were here, and they were more than willing to spend the night with me next to the Christmas tree.

I saw the night progress without a sound as they were all asleep. But, for some reason, for the next minute, I saw the 6-year-old me becoming restless, tossing and turning under her blanket. I walk over, to see the reason why, and didn't see my doll, Michelle, there. Without her, I couldn't sleep at all, no matter how hard I would try.

Then suddenly, I saw her pop up into a sitting position, like a daisy. And, with the glow from the Christmas tree as her only source of light to guide her way, she carefully walked over to where…Bickslow was? I watched, intrigued by her, or my, decision, as she carefully settled herself in front of him and instantly fell right to sleep once she laid her head on the pillow.

I sighed at the innocent display, a soft smile growing on my face, but it wasn't over yet.

After a couple of minutes of sleeping and silence, 10-year-old Bickslow suddenly wakes up and finds the younger me soundlessly asleep in front of him. Watching as he brings me (or her) closer, kisses her lips, and pulls the blanket up to her chin, then goes back to sleep.

A hand flew up to my mouth, to muffle my loud gasp, afraid that I would wake them. _'He just…! Bickslow just…!'_ Just a second late, my parents came down, with presents in their hands, and my mom seemed to have noticed that I was snuggled against Bickslow because she silently gasped, ran up the stairs, and came back down with the camera in her hand. She snapped a picture. "Really, mom…!" I muttered, throwing my arms up in defeat, because it was a memory, and I knew I couldn't do anything about it. Steam escaped from my ears from how badly I was blushing.

The flood of memories ended, fading to the back of my mind, meaning Bickslow disconnected our lips.

I found myself lying on a plush navy blue throw, panting heavily, while feeling hot, open-mouth kisses trailing down the column of my neck and down the valley of my breasts.

He took my lips again, immediately entering my mouth, leaving me breathless as I let out a moan. Sliding my hands from around his neck, I allowed them to slowly glide along the grooves of his collarbone and the sharp edges of his pectoral muscles, feeling them contract under my touch.

"You let go." He mumbles against my lips before fully pulling away.

As I flutter my eyes open, the only sound I could hear was my blood pulsing within my ears besides my own semi-labored breathing. I wanted to say something, "…" But nothing came out. I just laid there, gazing at him with the little light that was provided from downstairs, as my mouth kept opening and closing like a fish out of water trying to say something, "…" Again. Nothing. Then Bickslow starts stroking the bridge of my nose with the tip of his, as if encouraging me while he waited. Determination filled within me this time. I took a deep breath and finally breathed, "…I remember…I remember you, Bickslow." For some reason, those words sounded like I was having an epiphany, but who cares? I finally figured out who Bickslow really was: my first kiss.

"Finally." Was all he says before swiftly catching my lips again, feeling his smile spreading when our lips met.

Entangled within each other in a heat of passion, moaning, groaning, and grinding against one another, was like nothing I've ever imagined. Every nerve was shocked by the amount of pleasure I was feeling; my blood felt like it was boiling causing drips of sweat to form at every surface, every nook and cranny of my exposed body; my heart was beating a mile per second like I was running a marathon; and a foreign pressure deep within my belly was making my head cloudy.

It was difficult for me to think with the way Bickslow was effortlessly teasing my body, but a nagging feeling in my chest bothered my conscious. At first, I shoved it to the very dark space in my mind then focused on the butterfly kisses Bickslow bestowed down my body and how good they made me feel. Unfortunately, the nagging feeling came back, full-force, diminishing the flame my body once had. On impulse, I grabbed Bickslow's head and pulled him towards me, crashing my lips to his, and instantly deepening the kiss trying to rekindle the flame in the pit of my stomach. It didn't work. Instead, the nagging feeling I felt in my chest has now travelled down to my stomach.

Despite the decision I was about to make, I _really_ didn't want to leave like this…again.

Sighing, I pull back. "I have to go." Saying sadly, voice barely above a whisper.

He stares blankly at me for a couple of seconds then slowly removes himself from me. "You have to go…?" Sitting back on his heel, he stares at me with confusion while his voice laced with frustration and slight anger.

"Yeah…" I regrettably replied, sitting up. "It's just…my parents and Laxus. I don't want them to worry, you know?"

Bickslow's expression remained unchanged for another moment before an emotionless smile spreads across his face. "Yeah. Sure. I get it. Just give me a few minutes, then I'll walk you out."

Giving him a small nod of my head, he quickly got off the bed with a frustrated sigh and went into his bathroom, unexpectedly slamming it closed.

Reflexively jumping and cringing at the sudden sound, guilt engulfs my entire body. Knowing that I made Bickslow mad mades me feel miserable. I let out a deep, long sigh before searching for my clothes. Once I had the last of my clothes on, the fierce click of a handle and a door swinging open had me jumping out of my skin again, instantly letting out a squeal and ducking for cover. Peaking over the bed, I caught Bickslow's eyes, laughter swimming in them now, but expression perplexed with a rise of his brow. "Why are you on the ground?" He says.

"Because you scared me!" I snap, standing up and fixing my shirt. "And don't just aggressively swing the door open so suddenly, what if I was still in my underwear?"

He laughs, throwing his head back. "What would you do for ten minutes _besides_ getting dressed, sit on the bed half-naked and convince yourself that coming here was a bad choice?"

My eyes grew in shock as he continues to laugh at me. _'He heard me?'_ Blushing in embarrassment, I begin, trying to save myself, "Umm…th-"

"Hey, don't worry about it. I get it," He smiles, cutting me off before walking to his closet and searching for something. Without warning, he throws something over his shoulder, and to my surprise, I catch it. "Put that on." I furrow my brows at his demand and decide to take a look at the object he just thrown at me: it was his dress shirt. "You're sleeping here tonight."

"But, Bickslow…!"

"It's late, Lucy. Don't you want to sleep?" After sliding on a pair of clean underwear, he removes his towel and looks at me, earnestly, sending a chill down my spine.

For as long as I've known Bickslow, I've never seen the expressions 'serious' or 'impassive' ever on his face. Usually, he was a carefree jokester. Always smiling and cackling, who never took anything seriously, well, from what I've encountered. So, it was slightly refreshing to see this new expression on Bickslow's face.

"…Yes." I finally reply after a moments silence, feeling a sense of defeat and arousal. With that being said, I place the shirt on the bed and went to removing my sweater. But before it could come off, I catch a glimpse of Bickslow's stature, torso faced in my direction, anticipating a show with hungry eyes. I clear my throat to get his attention. Taken aback by the desire Bickslow let show through his eyes, my words get caught in my throat. Unexpectedly, he flashes me a smirk then walks to the bathroom, saying, "Let me know when you're done," over his shoulder, acting as if he didn't get caught.

Roughly shaking my head so I could concentrate on the task at hand, I quickly change into Bickslow's white dress shirt, leaving my panties on. Once the shirt was on and buttoned to the top, I called out to Bickslow and told him I was done. Standing beside the bed, I waited for Bickslow with a smirk playing at my lips.

"My god, you take-" I unconsciously blush as I render him speechless. "forever."

Bickslow decides to make his way towards me then. A mixture of curiosity, excitement, and anticipation runs through my veins as he draws near. For some reason, I didn't feel the need to back away. Like, I was comfortable with him enough to not shy away from him. It probably has something to do with the fact that we've known each other since childhood despite the 12 year gap and my shitty memory.

Standing in front of me now, I gaze up into Bickslow's intense green eyes. Within his eyes, I could visibly tell that both desire and lust are being held back by frustration and overall hidden underneath a calm stoic face, like his own personal mask. I scrunch my brows together at that.

"Unbutton the first two buttons, or else you'll end up choking yourself," Bickslow unexpectedly points out, undoing said buttons for me.

"Thanks…" I mumble, breaking our eye contact, feeling a little disappointed by his words.

"'Kay, well, sweet dreams," he bids before going down the stairs.

Without thinking, I suddenly reach out and grab Bickslow's arm, ceasing his movements. "You're not going to sleep with me?" As soon as I see the amusement on Bickslow's face and the corner of his mouth turn upwards, mischievously, I blush and frantically try to correct myself, stuttering nervously, "I-I-I mean…s-s-sleep as in…oh, you know what I mean!"

Bickslow chuckles. "Thanks, but…" he leans to the side, glancing at his bed before looking at me once over. Gulping, he continues, "I don't think I trust myself all that much."

" _I_ do." I unexpectedly proclaim. "You had enough self-control when I told you 'stop' earlier, and I could see in your eyes just how frustrated you were when you stood in front of me a second ago. I trust you."

Seeing the hesitation on his face for a moment, he reluctantly lets out a deep sigh. "If you trust me this much, then I should hold myself back more often, huh?" He flashes me a mischievous smirk.

I giggle. "I think you're just asking to be tortured."

"…Yeah, you're right," We laugh.

The tension in the air physically felt more comfortable and breathable after we both laughed. I don't know how to explain it, it felt like someone broke a very compressed box, and we could finally breath again.

"Let me just turn off the lights, then I'll meet you in bed."

"Okay," I smile from ear to ear. Unbeknownst to me, I was still holding his arm, which I instinctually pull to bring Bickslow close, so our lips could meet. Supporting half of my weight on his shoulder as I leaned on him, I cup the side of his face, keeping him within my grasp, so I was able to have control. I made sure our lips met firmly with one another, yet gentle enough to leave him wanting more later. I let it last for a couple seconds; and as a bonus, I lightly suck on his bottom lip, resulting in an involuntary groan to sound within Bickslow's throat. I pull away, feeling satisfied with myself and his reaction. "To end your suffering."

He blinks his eyes open once the words leave my mouth. With a smile on his face, he went to shutting off the lights while I snuggle into bed, also sporting a goofy grin on my face. With all the lights completely off, I heard feet climbing up the stairs, then feel a dip in the bed as Bickslow slides in behind me.

"Come closer," Bickslow whispers. I scoot back an inch, grinning. "Closer," another inch. Unknowingly, I was already within his reach for him to snatch me in his arms. I squeal and giggle, then snuggle against his back, to get myself comfortable, as I drift to sleep.

* * *

"…She's fine…She's still sleeping…Yeah, on my bed…No…!"

Fully aroused by a sudden quiet outburst, I slowly sit up, rubbing an eye.

"No, I didn't!"

"What's wrong?"

Covering one end with his hand, Bickslow turns to me with a face full of anger and disgust. "Laxus thinks I _raped_ you." Turning back to his conversation, he yells, "Dude, I'm telling you, I didn't do _anything_!"

Fear fills my stomach. Laxus isn't the kind of person to listen to reason, and he's very stubborn. Unless he's given proof that nothing happened, then nothing will sway him of his decision once he's made it.

"Wait, Bickslow. Here, give me the phone. Maybe he'll listen if it's coming from me." I suggested, stretching out a hand for the phone.

"Don't worry. I got it, babe." He replies after waving a dismissive hand, taking me aback. "Listen, Goldilocks, nothing, I repeat, _**NOTHING**_ happened, alright? It was getting late, so I lend her my bed and some of my clothes while I took the couch for the night, that's it." Disconnecting the phone, Bickslow sighs, laying back then rolling over to my side, wrapping his arms around my waist.

I giggle, stroking his head. "There, there. The mean man won't hurt you anymore." I insured in a baby voice.

"You're cousin's annoying when he gets overprotective." He mumbles into my hip. "God, I sounded like I was being accused of cheating, or something." He tightens his hold around me.

"Has this happened before?" I asked, out of curiousity.

"Being accused of cheating? Yeah, believe it or not." He lightly chuckles. "Although, not by Laxus -that was new- by my ex-girlfriend, Lisanna. It wasn't until after a couple of months did she start accusing me, though. It was cute at first; the way she became after I would tease her of being jealous. After that, things became tense between us. Then it was a constant thing to the point so extreme that no matter what I said to reassure her that I wasn't doing anything, she wouldn't believe me," Shifting to lay on my lap now.

I continue to pet his hair, fondly, looking down at him. "Well, then I guess that's her lost. She missed out on someone great."

Bickslow looked as if he were touched by the hand he placed on his chest. "Awe, thanks, babe." Our lips met, chastely.

I hum as I pulled away, grinning. "What time is it?" I ask.

Sitting up, groaning, he takes a look at his phone. "8:12."

Eyes big as saucers, I let out a shriek. "What?! No wonder Laxus called!" Scrambling out of bed, I quickly pull Bickslow's shirt over my head then slip on my clothes one-by-one. "I have to get home before dad wakes up. Ugh! Come on, you stupid leggings!"

Bickslow chuckles at my frustration. "Need some help?" He asks, standing.

"No, no, no. I can handle this. Wait, why are you even watching me? Turn around, stupid!" Making sure to cover my chest, I grab his shirt and throw it, square on his face.

"Too late. I've already seen everything." He laughs, joking, removing the shirt from his face.

I let out a fake gasp, sounding that I was absolutely horrified while attempting to cover myself with my hands. "You pervert." I jokingly accused.

We laugh out because we both knew it was true, even till this day.

"Hey, Lucy?"

"Yeah?" I replied, pulling the last article of clothing I had over my head.

Bickslow scooted to the edge of the bed, taking a second to gather his thoughts. "Do you think I could come over?"

I furrow my brows together and tilt my head at his request. "'Come over' where?" Realization hit me once I figured out what he meant. Snapping my head straight while my brows shot up to the ceiling. "Wait, you mean to my house?"

Saying sarcastically, "No, to outer space. Yes, I mean your place! Where else do you think I was talking about?"

Laughter breaking on my once serious expression. "Well, you didn't have to be so sarcastic about it! Goddamn."

He lets out a chuckle. "So, can I come?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I'd actually love for you to come."

Bickslow's face lit up, like he was a kid in a candy store, and was already putting some clothes. I giggled at the reaction. _Who knew that he would be this excited?_

Not even a minute later, Bickslow comes down dressed and ready to go.

"I could've just met you at your place, you know?"

"Hmm, it's been a long time. Do you know where to go?" I asked, internally grinning.

"…You're right. I forgot." Bickslow looked down.

I chuckled. "Just stay close behind and everything will be fine." He nodded. "Alright, let's go!" And with that, we left the building, into the snow, to our cars, and off to my house we went.

We arrived just in time for breakfast, and my dad didn't suspect a thing. Every greeted Bickslow with open arms and we all sat down at the table. With my dad at the head of the table, my mom to his left, Laxus on his right, Bickslow next to Laxus, and me next to my mom. With plates full of food in front of everyone, I couldn't help but smile from ear to ear at this display.

"Lucy, are you okay?" Laxus calls my attention.

I shrug my shoulders, still smiling. "Yeah, Why?"

"Well, you seem happier than you were before."

I laugh after looking at him with a raise of a brow. "…Hahaha, that's because I'm happy that all of you are in my life. Without any of you guys, I feel like this day would have turned out differently. Thank you, everyone! I'm very grateful that you came here today." Glancing toward Bickslow, my smile on my face became even wider, if that was even possible.

I'm glad Bickslow came back into my life, and I'm willing to start something new with him.

* * *

 **Soo sorry for the long wait guys, but I hope you guys enjoyed reading my story!**


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